Barcelona’s challenge for a quadruple this season could be hampered by the schedule as Celta Vigo provide latest test.
Who: Barcelona vs Celta Vigo
What: Spanish LaLiga
Where: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain
When: Saturday at 4:15pm (14:15 GMT)
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Barcelona will attempt to extend their lead at the top of LaLiga to seven points when they entertain Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Defending champions, Real Madrid, are second in the table but not in action until Sunday when they face Athletic Club.
The league leaders are far from happy, however, with the scheduling of their matches in the Spanish top flight as they chase a quadruple this season.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has demanded to meet with LaLiga officials over what he called a “joke” schedule, saying Spanish football was failing to take care of players.
The Catalan giants’ LaLiga game at Real Valladolid on Saturday, May 3, will kick off at 9:00pm (19:00 GMT) after being moved from an afternoon start on Sunday, May 4.
That rescheduling still gives them less than three days to prepare for the pivotal Champions League semifinal return leg at Inter Milan on May 6.
“I want to see this guy who’s responsible for that. For me, it’s a joke,” Flick told a news conference on Friday.
“It’s unbelievable and we have no time to rest … the guys who are responsible for that, I want to discuss with them, because they have no idea how it is.”
The Champions League is one of three tournaments Barcelona are still competing in, exacerbating challenges relating to fixture congestion that Flick is familiar with after a trophy-laden spell at Bayern Munich.
But the German manager said the situation facing his team before a huge European match left him “speechless”.
“I never had this before. Every league protects their clubs when they play in the Champions League, especially in the semifinal,” he said.
“Bundesliga, Premier League, take care about the clubs. But here not. It’s just let them play.”
Barcelona already claimed the Spanish Super Cup earlier this season by defeating fierce rivals Real 5-2 in Saudi Arabia.
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